Attorney pro tem to be named soon in Perry complaint

As early as this week, an attorney pro tem could be named to defend the state in an ethics complaint involving Gov. Rick Perry and the Travis County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit.

In June, Texans for Public Justice filed the complaint, which alleges Perry committed coercion, bribery and official oppression when he vetoed funding for the unit. Specifically, Perry threatened to use his political power to veto funding for the public integrity unit – which Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg oversees – unless Lehmberg resigned. She pleaded guilty in April to a charge of driving-while-intoxicated, but continues to insist publicly that she won’t resign.

Because the complaint Lehmberg’s office, an attorney pro tem must be assigned to prosecute it. That person will be chosen by either Senior Judge Robert Richardson of the 379th District Court or 3rd Circuit Presiding Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield as early as today, officials said.

According to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Stubblefield or Richardson “may appoint any competent attorney to perform the duties of the office during the absence or disqualification of the attorney for the state.”